YPMAK Scholarship Prepares Mimika Human Resources for Regional Development

The Amungme and Kamoro Community Development Foundation (YPMAK) scholarship programme is preparing human resources from Mimika, Central Papua, through higher education so they can return and contribute to regional development. Secretary of the YPMAK Management Kristianus Ukago in Timika on Tuesday said the foundation has dispatched 13 scholarship recipients to UPN Veteran University in Yogyakarta. “YPMAK gave UPN the authority to determine which students passed according to the established standards. So these 13 students were selected from a pool of 247 candidates,” Kristianus said. He said the 13 students were accepted into several study programmes at UPN, namely Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Geophysical Engineering. The programme is one of the efforts to prepare young Mimika natives with expertise in engineering fields that can support the human resource needs for the development of Central Papua. He hopes the scholarship recipients will make the most of the opportunity by complying with academic regulations, coaching, and mentoring throughout their education. “We hope there will be results that we can later see in Timika. We believe the campus will continue to educate and provide good mentoring to our children,” he said. He noted that Hendro Widjanarko from the Alumni and Cooperation Student Affairs Division of UPN Veteran Yogyakarta said the university is ready to provide mentoring so the students can complete their education and return to Papua. “We agreed that all these children must graduate and all must return to Papua. I want them to return in four or five years and build Timika,” Hendro said. Hendro said the scholarship students are equipped not only with academic skills but also non-academic or soft skills, including national defence values. UPN has also prepared academic advisors and facilities to help students face difficulties during their studies. He asked the students to maintain their primary focus while in Yogyakarta, which is to complete their education on target so they can return and contribute to the development of their home region.